Frank Merola was born in Brooklyn, New York on May 1, 1974.   He studied Radio,Television and Film at the University of North Texas where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1998.   Television images from the first Gulf War and Somalia  inspired him to become a television photographer.  During his last semester at UNT he was a photography intern at FOX4 in Dallas and attended the National Press Photographers Association Workshop in Norman, Oklahoma.  It was there that he decided to dedicate his career to television news.  In 1998 he started his career as a photographer for KAIT-TV in Jonesboro, Arkansas.  There he covered the aftermath of the Jonesboro school shootings, the trials of the West Memphis three, the 1999 tornado season and President Bill Clinton.   He was promoted to Chief Photographer in 1999.  From 2000 to 2003 he worked as a photographer for KDAF-TV in Dallas,Texas where he covered the Space Shuttle Columbia crash in Nacogdoches, Governor and later President George Bush and the 911 terrorist attacks. Merola also developed his own weekly series showcasing local musical talent.  In 2003 he relocated to New York City and began working for News 12 as a photographer/editor.    In late 2003, after the War in Iraq began, he joined the United States Army Reserve as a Broadcast Journalist.  After basic training and advanced individual training he returned to his civilian career.  In November of 2005 he volunteered to deploy to Baghdad, Iraq where he captured video images of the war from a Soldiers point of view.  His work was seen around the world on CNN, FOX, BBC, MSNBC, NBC, ABC, CBS and AFN.  In late 2006 he returned back to New York and his career in television photography.  In summer of 2007 Merola's career came full circle when he accepted a full time field photographer position at Fox Network in New York City. In early 2009 Merola recieved orders to deploy to Iraq for the second time.  He spent 10 months in Baghdad where he continued his work as a broadcast journalist for the Army.  He returned to New York City in early 2010.  Merola has recieved several honors for his television work in Iraq and the U.S. including the The Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, Emmy Nominee-Series-Lonestar Chapter, Emmy Nominee-Interview Discussion Program-Lonestar Chapter, 1st Place-Spot News -Associated Press (Texas), Honorable Mention-Photography Staff-Associated Press (Texas).       LinkedIn Twitter